INDIA
"Incredible India" is both cliché and the truth, as anyone who has spent time here will tell you. India is the place rookie travelers warn you about and experienced travelers recommend deeply: louder, more layered, and more alive than even social media would suggest. Soak in the hues of Rajasthan — Jaipur pink, Jodhpur blue, Jaisalmer gold — where the desert between deepens to ochre at dusk. In Kerala, houseboats drift through backwaters past kingfishers and the smell of cardamom on the breeze. In otherworldly Ladakh, the air thins out and Buddhist monasteries cling to cliffs above rivers the color of cold tea. The food shifts every 200 kilometers; the language shifts more often than that. Varanasi at dawn, the ghats lined in ritual and smoke and prayer, is one of the few sights on earth that genuinely changes people. India isn't always easy, but it is unforgettable.
A Taste of What's Possible
Try your hands at woodblock printing with a master craftsman.
Track Bengal tigers at dawn with a naturalist guide in Ranthambore National Park.
Experience warm Indian hospitality over a traditional dinner with a local family.
Where You'll Stay
We spend a lot of time obsessing over the perfect accommodations. Our favorites tend to be smaller, boutique properties with a unique sense of style and fantastic service.
Here are just a few of our favorites...
Three of Our Favorite Spots
KERALA
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India's southwest comes at a different pace. Houseboats move at walking speed along backwater canals, lakes, and lagoons; tea hills sit in cool mountain air above the coast. Kochi has been trading spices with Arabs, Portuguese, and Dutch for centuries, and the food still carries all of it: black pepper, cardamom, coconut, curry leaf. Theyyam masks come out before dawn in the north; Kathakali performers paint their faces green by night. The modern home of Ayurveda, and a place that will slow your pulse accordingly. Don't rush it.
LADAKH
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India's high-altitude north, where the Manali road crosses passes over 5,000 meters before dropping into a high desert of barley fields and cliff-built monasteries. Leh sits ringed by mountains, urging you to slowly acclimate with its market lanes, monastery views, and thin air before venturing out to explore the region’s wonders: an impossibly blue lake, sand dunes that still keep Bactrian camels from Silk Road days, and a monastery rising in cascading white tiers from the valley floor.
VARANASI
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One of the oldest cities on Earth, continuously inhabited for at least three thousand years. Eighty-odd ghats step down to the Ganges. At the holiest of them, the cremation fires never go out. Take the dawn boat as the city wakes: pilgrims bathing, priests chanting, the river going gold. Sarnath, where the Buddha gave his first sermon, sits ten kilometers north. The Banarasi silk weavers have been making the country's wedding saris since the Mughal era. Varanasi is intense, unfiltered, and not where you want to land jet-lagged.
We are loving India! The trip was wonderful! Guide: FANTASTIC, driver: EXCELLENT! We've loved every minute - no complaints, all properties were amazing, all days were different, fun filled and organized. Food was great! We LOVED it - I got some magical street photographs!”
L.R. // Philadelphia
Sample Itinerary
The Capital, the Taj, and the Painted Cities of Rajasthan
Day 1: On arrival in New Delhi, meet your dedicated guide and driver and transfer to your luxurious accommodations in the city center.
Day 2: A full day to explore vibrant and bustling Delhi. After taking in impressive monuments such as Jama Masjid and Humayun’s Tomb, enjoy a rickshaw ride through the narrow streets of Chandni Chowk bazaar to taste a range of local street stall delights.
Day 3: Travel from Delhi to Agra by car, arriving in time to enjoy a sunset visit to the magnificent Taj Mahal this afternoon.
Day 4: Travel by car from Agra to the Pink City, Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. Head out on an afternoon private walking tour of Jaipur's bustling bazaars.
Day 5: A full day to continue immersing yourself in Jaipur’s highlights. In the morning, head out on a private tour of the colorful City Palace, the iconic Hawa Mahal, and the fascinating medieval observatory known as Jantar Mantar (perhaps sitting with an astrologer for a reading afterward). Spend the afternoon shopping from local artisans and shopkeepers selling high-quality gems, rugs, pottery, and more.
Day 6: Visit a traditional family workshop in the countryside outside of Jaipur where you can marvel at the intricate hand block Indian printing and natural dyeing processes, and try your hands at the craft yourself. Return to Jaipur, where at dusk you’ll have a private walking tour of the towering Amber Fort.
Day 7: Today you will head to the outskirts of Jaipur to spend time with Asian elephants at a family-owned sanctuary for rescue animals. After walking the peaceful grounds of the sanctuary alongside these gentle giants and their devoted mahouts, enjoy a home-cooked lunch in this peaceful rural retreat.
Day 8: Travel by car from Jaipur to Udaipur, one of the most picturesque cities in Rajasthan.
Day 9: Spend the day with your local guide discovering why Udaipur is often described as the “Venice of the East.” Explore old bazaars and palaces by foot and rickshaw, and in the evening soak up the beautiful lake and surrounding green hills on a private sunset boat cruise.
Day 10: After a leisurely morning, this afternoon explore the gorgeous lakes and Aravali Hills on two wheels with a private cycle tour through the countryside around Udaipur.
Day 11: Depart Udaipur by car for two nights at a luxurious retreat in the peaceful Rajasthani countryside.
Day 12: A full day to completely unwind and experience the extraordinary hospitality of rural India. Take a dip in the pool, relish in the tranquility, and indulge in delicious seasonal fare.
Day 13: Today you’ll travel onward by car to your final stop, Jodhpur, the Blue City.
Day 14: Enjoy the day exploring Jodhpur’s vibrant markets (sampling incredible street bites along the way), taking in the majestic Mehrangarh Fort, and strolling through the picturesque old town painted a distinct vibrant blue hue, where you may just be invited for a chai in the home of a local Brahmin.
Day 15: Transfer to the Jodhpur airport and begin your onward journey home.
